Japanese (Monk Style) Veg Dinner

I am a pure vegetarian by belief and choice from birth. So whenever I travel abroad I have to say No Fish, No Meat, No Chicken!. Immediately some people reply back How about Water? – definitely not funny especially when I am hungry. Only saving grace is that I eat everything vegetarian and Egg is OK as long as it is masked inside cakes and sweets – no omelettes though.

Streets of Tokyo (2007)

Last week I was in Japan on my second business trip there, stayed there in Akasaka (ANA Tokyo Hotel). Fortunately, I could find a lot of Indian Restaurants in walking distance or few subway stations away. The one I liked was Moti’s. Other options include “Maharaja“, the last visit I had visited this restaurant in Shinjuku – but the food there is made more for the Japanese/Western taste.

Japanese are known for their hospitality and friendliness. My clients in Japan hosted a dinner especially for me and my co-worker. Like I did during my last visit, I requested them for a Japanese dinner. They took effort in finding a good restaurant near Omote-Sando station. It was a classical Japanese style home, and they served a seven (or eight) course lavishing meal. The meal was pure vegetarian and consisted of boiled vegetables, fruits, rice, tofu and Japanese tea. I was told by my hosts that the meal was modelled on what Japanese Buddhist monk have in their monasteries. For me, it was a different experience. The restaurant manager gave all of us a paper (shown in the image here) that has the entire menu we had for the dinner listed in Japanese.

Like Indians, Japanese also have their food sitting on the floor. But a new thing I learned on that day was that Japanese conventionally sit in Vajrasam Yoga style while sitting on the floor. The normal folded legs posture is considered in Japan to be rude – but nowadays very common.